Dietramszell: Planned solar park near Manhartshofen raises spirits

Created: 04/01/2022, 20:00

By: Clara Wildenrath

The interest was great: Around 100 people from Dietramszell came to the information event on Tuesday evening about the planned photovoltaic open-space system near Manhartshofen.

Mayor Josef Hauser (right) emphasized that the planning is still “at the very beginning”.

Neighbors upset about the applicant Representatives of the energy transition are promoting the project © Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss

Emotions boiled over during the discussion about the photovoltaic ground-mounted system near Manhartshofen.

The applicant defended his plan.

Dietramszell - "We are not in the middle, but at the very beginning." With this statement, Mayor Josef Hauser tried several times to calm the mind.

Emotions ran high again and again during the discussions about the planned photovoltaic ground-mounted system near Manhartshofen.

Around 100 citizens came to the municipality's information event in the hall of the Gasthof Peiss in Dietramszell on Tuesday evening.

Neighbors upset about applicant

It was to be expected that a ten-hectare solar power plant in the open field would not meet with the unqualified approval of the local residents.

He was accused of "destroying the Leiten" and "war-like conditions were prophesied", reported Josef Bacher, who wants to set up the solar park on one of his properties and operate it with his family.

In fact, it was above all his immediate neighbors who positioned themselves as opponents of the project in the discussion round.

Stefan Huber from Manhartshofen not only expressed his dissatisfaction with the "mad project in our beautiful landscape".

He was also horrified to only find out about it from the newspaper.

In the small village with 13 houses, the operator should have communicated his request much earlier.

He also called for the expansion of roof-top photovoltaics to be pushed first and, for example, to use motorway routes in the neighboring communities as potential locations.

There is no cheaper way to generate electricity than through open-space photovoltaics.

Applicant Josef Bacher

The accusation was heard from several quarters that the whole process had been "pushed through the municipal council" much too quickly.

Council member Xaver Huber (BLD), also from Manhartshofen, once again called for an overall concept to be drawn up for the entire community: "Where else will we get if everyone does it?" In the most recent meeting of the municipal council, he already had an application adjourned, which had been defeated by eleven votes to nine.

Instead, the majority of the committee approved the preparation of the development plan "Special area open-space photovoltaic system" and the corresponding change in the land use plan.

Applicant Bacher again referred to the advantages of his project: "There is no cheaper electricity generation than with open-space photovoltaics." Even nuclear power is more expensive.

And: Regional production makes large overhead power lines superfluous.

He explained that due to the "humpbacked terrain formation" one could not overlook the entire area from any location - especially not from the neighboring houses.

Bacher also did not accept the objection from local councilor Michael Häsch (CSU) that more agricultural land should not be sealed: "There is a greater shortage of electricity than of food." So far he has only used the field to produce animal feed - and Germany is not undersupplied with either milk or meat.

"0.25 percent of the agriculturally usable area of ​​Dietramszell could cover 100 percent of the electricity needs of households."

Representatives of the energy transition promote the project

Bernhard Fuchs (FW) from the municipal energy and environment working group mentioned another plus point: "Open-space PV systems have been shown to increase the regional biodiversity of plants and animals." The municipality also benefits financially: in accordance with a new provision in the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), the operator can share the yield with the community with 0.2 cents per kilowatt hour.

"With ten megawatt hours, that makes about 20,000 euros a year," Fuchs calculated.

In addition, a local entrepreneur would receive trade tax revenue of a similar amount.

Supply the region entirely with renewable energy by 2035

The goal of completely supplying the region with renewable energies by 2035 cannot be achieved without open-space photovoltaics, emphasized Stefan Drexlmeier, branch manager of the Oberland energy transition.

Roof systems are much more expensive and are no longer enforced by the legislature.

He offered the community support in creating an overall concept -- "but not before the specific project, so as not to delay it".

Mayor Hauser, who recently argued against this in the municipal council, spoke out in favor of such a concept at the information event.

"So far nothing has happened," he said.

"There is still a long way to go before the district office approves it." At the next meeting on April 5, the topic will be on the agenda again.

cw

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